There's something about babies. You know that feeling, when you see a new infant and can't help but gush, "How cute and tiny!" It's universal to be drawn to new life. That applies to other babies in the animal kingdom, too. Last Tuesday morning, I was delighted when I saw two tiny fawns in my driveway with their mother.

When I drive to the top of Bear Creek Road, looking down to Loch Lomond Reservoir and across the bay to the Ventana Wilderness, I imagine what our land would have looked like before the European invasion. What grew here? Ate here? Roamed here? What mark would American Indians have made?

Striped bass may be a non-native species in California, but they have a stronghold and their numbers this year appear robust. Striped bass are being caught from Monterey Bay to the rivers of the Central Valley.

The other day, I was leafing through the Harris' Farmer's Almanac 2011 Gardening Guide looking for gardening tips and checking out the regional weather forecasts for the year. This classic booklet has been published "for use of farmers, planters, mechanics and all families" since 1818 and contains "weather forecasts, planting tables, and a variety of matter useful and entertaining." If you haven't read one lately, I can tell you it lives up to its promise. Here is just a sampling.